Gripper.



E. 1. LA UHAPELLE.

GRIPPER.

APPLICATION IILED 001. 2, 1907.

Patented J an. 16, 1912.

III/III IIIIIIIIIII 4 II/IIIIIIIIIIII/I/ COLUMBIA PLANoaRAPM co.,wAsl-llNoToN, n. c.

UNITED srA'rEs PATENT OFFICE- EUCLID I. ILA. CHAPELLE, OF BEVERLY, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOB- TO UNITED SHOE MACHINERY COMPANY, OF IPATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

G-RIPPER.

Patented Jan. 16, 1 912 Application filed October 2, 1907. Serial N 0. 395,569.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EUCLID I. LA CHA- PELLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Beverly, in the county of Essex and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have 1nvented certain Improvements in Grippers, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is aspecification, like reference characters on the drawings'indicating like parts in the several figures.

- This invention relates to grippers mechanisms and particularly to mechanisms employed in working an upper over a last.

The upper material usually comprises a plurality of thicknesses of stock, includinga lining. The upper leather is usually pulled to an extent to stretch it more or less while the lining, whether it is made of cloth or of a thin leather, does not need to be stretched to so great an extent and in some instances it is considered sutficient merely to straighten the lining and draw it snugly to the last without stretching it at all.

An object of this invention is to provide a grippers mechanism by which two thicknesses of stock may be pulled through different distances.

An important feature of the invention consists in gripping mechanism comprismg jaws having gripping faces of different formation adapted to hold different thicknesses of stock engaged by them with different 'degrees of security. This may be effected by providing the jaw engaging one thlckness of stockas, for example, the upper leather of a shoe, with a roughened gripping face and the jaw engaging the shoe lining with a less rough or a smooth gripping face.

Another important feature of the invention consists in a grippers mechanism comprising a plurality of superjacent gripping jaws constructed and arranged to hold two thicknesses of superposed stock out of contact. In the illustrated construction the jaws include a member adapted to be interposed between two thicknesses of stock. These gripping faces engaging the two superposed thicknesses of stock may be of the same or of different formation and the jaws may be actuated to grip the stock with the same degree of pressure or with diflerent forces. As herein shown, the intermediate jaw has on one side a roughened face 00- operating with a similarly formed face on one outer jawto hold the upper and said; intermediate j aw has on its other side a rela-- tively smooth face to coact with a similar face on the other outer jaw to grip the lining. In the preferred form of the lnventio-n the intermediate jaw is pivoted between the outer jaws, one of which is rigidly mounted and the other is pivotally mounted and arranged for movement to. engage the thickness of stock between it and the intermediate jaw and tomove the intermediate jaw toward the fixed jaw for gripping the thickness of stock between that jaw and the fixed jaw. It will be observed that it is characteristic of the illustrated embodiment of the invention that the intermediate jaw is interposed between the two thicknesses of stock which it is desired to hold with different degrees of firmness or security and that the thicknesses of stock are separated in the grippers, thus reducing the frictional resistance to relative movement of the different superposed thicknesses while they are being pulled.

A further feature of'the invention consists in the provision of means for actuating the intermediate jaw to separate it from the outer jaws for the insertion of the stock when said intermediate jaw is pivotally mounted between the outer jaws. As herein shown, the outer pivoted jaw is actuated by a closing and opening device, herein referred to as the operating device, and the intermediate jaw is'provided with a face for engagement with said operating device. The construction and arrangement are such that when said device moves into position to rock the outer pivoted jaw away from the fixed jaw itengages the cooperating face on theintermediate jaw and rocks the latter through a less distance than the outer jaw is rocked and holds it in a balanced position between and separated from both the outer aws.

These and'other features of the invention, including certain details of construction and combinations of parts, will be explained in the following description and pointed out in the annexed claims. g

In thedrawings, which represent a preferred embodiment of the invention,--Figuref]. is a front view partly in section of pulling-over machine grippers embodying the present invention. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the grippers jaws open.

movable bar 18 to which it is detachably' connected by the swinging hook 20-. The operatingbar is connected to the lever 22 which is fulcrumed at 24. Upward movement of the bar lifts the operating device 16, causing the roll 14: to engage the face 25 of the upper arm of jaw 8 and'swing that jaw toward the intermediate and fixed jaws.- Downward movement of the bar effected by the lever forces the operating device toward the jaws and causes the hub 15 to engage face 26' of jaw 8 and move that jaw away from the fixed and intermediate jaws From this construction itwill be notedthat one of the gripping devices is arranged upon the other and is superjacent to the other as distinguished from being displaced from the other in the direction of the edge of the upper and that, therefore, the grippers are adapted to grip superposed layers ofthe upper.

V The intermediate jaw is formed above the pivot in 12 with inclined stop faces 28 to be engaged by the roll l i for rocking that jaw away from the fixed jaw into a balanced position between the two outer .jaws as shown in Fig. .2 when the operating device is in its lowestposition. The casing 6 has shoulders 30 which engage the frame at 32 to hold the grippers while the bar 18 is moved downwardly, pushing the "operating device 16 into the position shown in Fig. 2 where the roll 14 and hub 15 hold the jaws separated. A spring 34 may also be provided "having a head shaped to fit in the them to slip between the jaws.

seat 35 for the same purpose. Preferably the gripping face of the jaw 8 and the adjacent gripping face of the intermediate 'jaw 10 will be toothed or roughened to hold the upper securely while the gripping face of the fixed jaw 2 and the adjacent face of the jaw 10 will be formed relatively to the other gripping faces to permit the stock held b In the use of the grippers the thicknesses of stock to be separately pulled are placed in the grippers as shown in Fig. 2, the parts, as the upper of a shoe, which are to be pulled to the greatest extent being placed'between the jaws 8 and 10 and the parts, as the lining of-a shoe, which are to be pulled to a less extent are inserted between the jaws 2 and 10. The jaws are then closed by uplifting the lever bar and operating device, the latter moving into the position shown in Fig. 1. In this operation the jaw 18 is rocked against the stock between it and the jaw 10, causing the latter jaw to swing toward the rigid jaw 2. When the grippers are to be opened the lever is depressed, forcing down the bar 18 and the operating device 16, causing the hub 1.5 to engage the outer face 26 of jaw 8 and the roll 14: to seat itself against the stop face 28 on the jaw 10 to hold the jaws open for the reception of the work.

Having explained the nature of the invention and fully described one construction embodying the invention in the best form now known to me, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States V 1. In a gripper mechanism, means fo grippingand pulling an upper, and means for gripping the portion of lining under the gripped portion of upper, said two means comprising a plurality of jaws constructed and arranged to hold the two thicknesses of stock out of contact and actuating mechanism for closing and moving said jaws to pull both thicknesses of the gripped stock.

2. In a pulling grippers mechanism an outer jaw and an intermediate jaw formed with cooperating gripping faces extending in substantially the direction that the stock is to be pulled, and a second outer jaw having a grlpping face cooperating wlth a second gripping face on the intermediate jaw and extending at an angle to the direction in which the stock is to be pulled.

3. A gripper mechanism for pulling over and similar machines, having in combination, a member arranged to be interposed between the lining and the upper of a shoe, means for gripping the upper against one side of said member, means for gripping the lining against the other side of said memher, and mechanism for-moving said two means and member together to effect pulling of both the upper and the lining, said means having relative structural variations for maintaining differential tensions upon the lining and upon the upper.

4. In a gripper mechanism, two outer jaws and an intermediate jaw arrangedto hold upon opposite sides ofthe intermediate jaw shaped for holding the stock on one side of said jaw with a different degree of security from the'stock on the other side of said jaw,

of operating mechanism for closing the upper holding devices and for uplifting all of said devices, wher'ebythe thicknesses of upper stock are st-retched'in proportion to the relative degrees of security with which they are held.

6. In a grippers mechanism, the combinattion with an outer jaw having an extended gripping face provided with serrations and an outer jaw having a relatively smooth gripping face, of an intermediate jaw.

7 In a grippers mechanism, the combination with an outer jaw having a roughened gripping face and an outer jaw having a relatively smooth gripping face, of an intermediate jaw provided upon its opposite sides with gripping faces of similar formation to the adjacent gripping faces of the outer jaws.

8. In a grippers mechanism, outer jaws and an intermediate jaw loosely mount-ed between the outer jaws and yielding means for determining the normal position of the intermediate jaw out of contact with both other jaws.

9. In a grippers mechanism for pulling over and similar machines, outer jaws and an intermediate jaw having converging gripping surfaces constructed and arranged to grip and pull separately the superposed layers of upper material of the shoe, gripping faces formed on said jaws, and means for holding the intermediate jaw with its gripping faces normally out of contact with the gripping faces of the outer jaw.

10. In a grippers mechanism, a carrier, a pivoted jaw, a jaw which is rigidly connected with the carrier, and a jaw intermediate said pivoted and rigid jaws combined with mechanism for actuating said jaws to do their work. 4

11. In a grippers mechanism, a carrier, a pivoted jaw, a jaw which is rigidly connected with the carrier, and a movable intermediate said outer aws and arranged to be actuated toward thestationary jaw by the pivoted jaw combined with mechanism for actuating said aws to do their work.

12. In a grippers mechanism, aws having gripping faces provided with cooperating. serrations for holding a shoe upper and relatively smooth gripping faces for holding a shoe lining.

13. In a grippers mechanism, the combination with outer jaws, one only of which is pivotally mounted, of an. intermediate jaw movably mounted, and operating means for actuating the two movable jaws together to open the grippers, said mechanism having. provision for moving the outer pivoted jaw in the same direction and through a greater distance than the intermediate jaw.

14:. In a grippers mechanism, the combination with a stationary carrier, outer jaws one of which is rigidly connected with the carrier and the other of which is pivotally mounted, of an intermediate jaw movably I mounted, and a single operating device for actuating the two movable jaws relatively to the other jaw.

15. In a grippers mechanism, three jaws for holding in separated relation different thicknesses of superposed stock interposed between them, one of said jaws having converging gripping surfaces and a single operating device for opening and closing the jaws, said mechanism having provision for automatically separating the gripping faces of the three jaws from one another to open the grippers for the insertion of the stock. 16. In a grippers mechanism,means for gripping and pulling a portion of a shoe upper, means for gripping and pulling the adjacent portion of the lining, and a common actuator to effect pulling by both of said means, said lining pulling means having provision for gripping and holding the lining with less security than the upper gripping means holds the upper, whereby the upper will continue to be pulled after the lining begins to slip.

17 In a grippers mechanism for pulling over and similar machines, means for gripping and pulling an upper, and means for gripping and pulling a portion of lining located under the gripped portion of upper, said gripping means being differently formed so as to continue pulling the upper after ceasing to pull the lining.

18. In a grippers mechanism, means for gripping two superposed portions of stock and actuating means for causing both portions of the stock to be pulled, said mechanism having provision for causing the pull on one portion of stock to be continued through a greater distance than the pull on the other portion of the stock.

19. A gripper mechanism, having in combination, a carrier 6 and a stationary jaw 2 thereon, the jaw 8 pivoted to the carrier, the gripper closing device 1.6 for said pivoted jaw 8, the intermediate jaw 10, and the spring 34 carried by the pivoted jaw 8 and having a sliding connection with the intermediate jaw 10 for yieldingly controlling the position of the intermediate jaw.

20. A gripper mechanism for a pullingover machine, having in combination, means for gripping the lining of the shoe upper, including a jaw shaped and arranged to eX- tend between the side of the last and the lining, and means for gripping the upper, including a jaw arranged outside of the up: per, said lining and upper gripping means v also including a device shaped and arranged to extend between the lining and the upper and cooperate with both of said jaws and operating means for moving said jaws in the same direction together for pulling the gripped upper and the lining.

21. In the gripping mechanism of a pulling-over machine, the combination with outer gripping jaws having oppositely disposed gripping faces formed to enable the shoe stock to be gripped without being perforated, of a jaw arranged between them and having on its opposite sides gripping faces which cooperate with those of the outer jaws and one of which has a different formation from the other to enable it to hold the upper of the shoe being pulled more'firmly than the lining is held between the other face of the intermediate jaw and the outer jaw which cooperates with said other face, and operating means for moving said outer gripping jaws in the same direc- 15 tion together for pulling the gripped stock;

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EUCLID- LA CHAPELLE.

Witnesses i I ARTHUR L. RUSSELL, LAURA M. GOODRIDGE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of .Iatents,

Washington, D. G. v 

